By the way this will be my first route (and time visiting) Tuolumne or Yosemite in general for that matter. I have been training on the granite up in New Hampshire to get more used to the stone as it is way different from the quartzite that I am used to. I think it will be a great time.

Great route. We did it last August on a Tuesday and there was a party way high on it by the time we got going (afternoon). We opted for a more "interesting" finish so didn't catch them, but, we did pick up a double set of nuts that they'd trundled down just about all the lower pitches (helped keep us on route).

Climbs really fast. Fun fun fun.

You might play around on some of the shorter easier routes on Lambert or Stately Pleasure prior to embarking on that long a multi pitch if you aren't dialed into the scene there.

On Saturday I met a trio of climbers who headed up to the base thinking they could circumvent the snow patches but a considerable amount of water was pouring down the route and they decided against climbing it.

My god paddling up Whitehorse is a blast. I did Wavelength (5.8) 2 weeks ago. So much fun. I moved to Boston from DC to get closer to the granite while staying on the east coast. I am so happy with the decision.

You guys will have a blast on Tenaya, even if it is crowded. Blue sky and sunshine on a thousand feet of cruiser stone in an unbelievable setting. Can't beat it. I usually hate crowds but man, on a route like that, take some time and say hi to people, learn their names and where they're from, enjoy the company, share some food. There is plenty of rock to share up there. There are always attitude spewing self proclaimed hardmen to deal with, but if they are so hard they shouldn't be on that route. Don't bother with those dudes. Here's a shot from last summer. Enjoy.

I am NOT hardcore... basically a 5.7 leader, and I don't solo. Yet, I soloed the first 7 pitches (most solo the first 5 w/o even realizing it, many solo the entire thing), then simul-climbed the rest, and only pitched out the last 30 ft crack at the top. We passed several parties on the way up, and there were multiple passing options, everybody was friendly and happy. Its basically a half day climb... goes fast (less than 3 hours base -> summit, unless you nap and lunch on the way).

very solo-able, although I started out in approach shoes & quickly switched to rock shoes. I stayed a little too far left on the way up & luckily someone was able to throw me a bight of rope for 5? ft of it. Turns out another guy I know did the same thing.

(getting your mind into slab mode first helps).

After topping out I was told not to turn rt too quickly for the descent... so I overshot the "exit" & it was no big deal...

"crowded" on the west coast is very different than the definition of crowded climbs back east.

The route is really fun. Hiked/climbed it several times. If there's a lot of runoff, the technical crux may be getting on the climb itself.

I've done various descent options. The fastest involves descending through the notch in this photo.

I'm remembering the climb as about 45min, and most of the descents as quite a bit longer. Don't remember how long the one in the photo is, but I waited on the beach for maybe 1/2hr (felt that way anyway) for my partners to come a longer way.

Caveats:
1. There's some 5th class downclimbing.

2. Don't recall if there are choices, but the way I went is much better when things are really dry. There was a low angle gully I had to chimney above because it was wet & slimy. Much easier to just walk down it--if it were dry.

It is fun, such a nice location. I think there are only a few pitches (discontinuous) that call for a belay. Even if you're really conservative there just isn't all that much to rope up for. So how is it that the supertopo shows 14 pitches? Is it an alternate route?

Last year, just as we were getting ready to break out the rope, a couple of guys appear from above, rappelling. We ask them what's up and they say they bailed from a pitch below the top. They ask if we know where the "5.4 ramp" (or something like that) is. I've never looked that closely at the topo but I assure them that there are easy ways off. They continue down.

Turns out that they had started the previous day. They'd bivied on route! Kind of funny, but at least they took care of themselves without help when they got in over their heads.

Yup, it's all about a fun day in the mountains. That's what it's all about. Great views going up, lot's of variations if you want, discovering that cool looking bowl emerging as you get higher on the route, topping out with some more great views. Even the descent is fun (we took the long way down through the woods).

After spooking myself out on a route that's pretty much within my ability at Tahquitz this weekend, remembering Tenaya Peak is just the balm I needed.

Thank you all for the great pics and info. I truly love this sight. I think that we are going to spend a week in the meadows and do the north ridge of Mt Conness as well.

I will have two people with me. One is inexperienced and these will be his first multipitch climbs. The other is more experienced but does not lead. I am thinking of climbing on doubles when I have to rope up so that I can belay them simultaneously to save time. Can anyone see why something like that might be a problem? It is the best solution I can think of. Thanks again for your help!

The NW was a route we would routinely ran up on a nice summer day in the early 60's.
In 1965 or possibly 66, I was working seasonally as a climbing ranger under Steve Hickman. Two sheriff deputies , out for a weekend of R&R, spotted a naked climber wedged into a jam crack near the upper section of the normal route . What we discovered on arrival was a rather strange and puzzling scene. A long time dead,naked, muscular and incredibly tanned male, tightly wedge into a crack in a perfectly normal climbing position. After two summers of search and rescue and too many morbid encounters we had taken to calling ourselves the Alpine Body Snatchers to lighten the psychological baggage. We flipped a coin for who was going to bag this one and I lost. What ensued was one of my most unmemorable climbing experiences. It is one thing to extricate yourself from a difficult jamming position, but try to envision pulling a dead, naked body out of a similar situation. We slung the body off with a helicopter and spent the next two days at the base searching for clothes to no avail. Far as I know the individual was never identified.Riddle never solved. One can well imagine all the wild scenarios we came up with to explain the wild circumstances surrouding this episode.

there are three variations at the top, 4th class to the left, and then farther right a 5.8 exit, and a 5.6 exit. as I recall, we did the 5.6. is that right Fletch?

I dunno, I have a hard time remembering what I did ten minutes ago these days. It wasn't 4th and it wasn't 5.8. Split the difference and call it 5.6. Maybe one or two moves. Lots of a variations as the previous poster said.

Guido's story is fascinating - you'd think there'd be something to connect the body with someone who was missing.

A Yosemite S&R person told me that it is fairly common for those dying of hypothermia to take off all their clothes - one of the body's last things it does in that situation is push everything it can into one last surge of energy/blood/heat. The victims are somewhat incoherent at that point, but suddenly feel very warm - so they take off all their clothes.

Perhaps the person was at or near the top, a hiker or maybe a climber. He got stuck in a storm and hypothermic, and in a last burst of energy threw off his clothes, and tried to climb off/out, but fell and got stuck in the crack.

You know the strange thing was his technique was superb, hand jam and nice foot jam he just stopped dead. No pun intended. We searched all over for his clothes, on the wall and the base of the route. Zero. Yes, I agree really strange and has bugged me for years.I wonder if you are familiar with the story about the nuclear physicist that disappeared up Tenaya canyon years ago. Believe his name was Frisiell or something similar. Never found. Lot's of ideas associated with this one. Conspiracy folks would have a field day with this mystery.

Bro Jacko and I plan on making another pilgrimage to T Meadows the extended weekend of July 11/12... Jacko has been lobbying me for years on the Tenaya Peak climb. I've been lurking and contributing on this site for too many years. You and Todd Gordon are the two people I truly want to meet in person (and Mike Ousley). What Say You ??? Please say yes so you can help me convince Jacko that simul climbing is both quick and safe !!!

Cracko, hmm, the 11th of that month, is my birthday, been contemplating what cool thing to do around then, again hmm. I'll be in touch.

What if, we assume it's on? Whatever, "It" (tenya, laps on spd, a bbcue in the meadows, naked free solos of death crack or wherever our imaginations limit us to be doing) turns out to be? Could be worse...

Yo-if you guys are really going to do the route naked as promised, may I recommend the old Galen Rowell concoction for the super tan. Mix a batch of coco butter and iodine and lather up.Bit slippery, but you know the old saying"easy in, easy out". Of course for that perfect, deep, dark, high altitude tone, you may have to hang out longer than you wish. Be forewarned, the chicks at the base love to play hide and seek with the clothes.

Don't worry about other parties, because if there are any you can pass them. On these easy routes, there is no absolute "route" because the cracks are so discontinuous and varied, you can go right around anyone. Enjoy - and simul climb it! Its a waste of time to belay so many damn times.

I remember a fun day I had on this route... I had hitched up to the Meadows to do some bouldering and was sitting on a boulder staring at Tenaya. Before I knew it I was running across the beach and scrambling up. I had no clue where to go, or even if there was a real "route" on the wall. I do remember being a tad sketched near the top but soon was standing on the summit having done it 3rd class (whoops, sorry.. old terminology... "unroped solo.") Now what? Geez... Half Dome looks close and I know I can make the Valley not long after that. So, I took of running/speed walking. I had my favorite running shoes; a pair of yellow Onitsuka Tigers. (Mine were much less pretty than these...)

Somewhere near the top of Clouds Rest I remember being a bit concerned I wouldn't make it before dark. As it was I pulled into C4 pretty late and feeling a slight burn in my calf muscles. The next morning I could not walk as my legs were burnt inside and out (wore shorts...) I was in pain for about 48 hours but, after many routes, years and countries, I still consider that one of my finest days in the mountains.